The show was first featured in a set of mock promotional television advertisements. From the mock promos, the program was greenlighted to series with a 12-episode season, bypassing the usual TV pilot stage of development.

Each episode is more outrageously funny than the next. In one episode, Jessie and Sam (Martin Starr) are kidnapped by a Japanese sub that’s been lost at sea–searching for Pearl Harbor–for 70 years. NTSF must find the sub and stop their long-delayed attack on San Diego.

In this roundtable cast interview, Romjin talks briefly about the show and her character.

So what’s it like going from a film or regular TV show to a quarter-hour show like NTSF:SD:SUV?

Rebecca Romijn: These are scripted episodes. There’s room for collaboration and we shoot tons of versions of scenes, so it’s like many productions I’ve worked on. These are my friends. It’s not work, it’s just fun. We only shoot for 20 days and by the end of it, we’re all wishing we had more to do. There’s a little more freedom to explore.

With so little time per episode, is there room for improv on the scripts?

RR: It’s funny how sometimes whatever Paul, John or Chris write on the page, that when you play it out in the scene, it may not work, so you figure out something else that does work. It may have sounded great on the page, but for whatever reason, it doesn’t work. The whole idea is not getting stuck.

Are there any specific TV characters you’re trying to parody?

RR: No, I can’t thank of any specific characters that Jessie is trying to parody. Although every one of these crime procedurals does have a kind of nerdy lab tech.

Who’s your favorite action hero?

RR: I could say Mystique, but it feels a little myopic.

With that, Romijn was whisked off to another interview. The second season of NTSF:SD:SUV premieres Thursday, August 9th at 12:15 a.m.

Alex A. Kecskes has written hundreds of film reviews and celebrity interviews for a wide variety of online and print outlets. He has covered red carpet premieres and Comic-Con events for major films and independent releases.